


Retirement Benefits

by AughtPunk



Category: Overwatch (Video Game)
Genre: Hanzo is One Hot Grandpa, Jesse and Hanzo are two old men in love, Jesse scares the neighbors sometimes, M/M, Retirement
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-30
Updated: 2017-12-30
Packaged: 2019-02-24 06:18:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,122
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13207773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AughtPunk/pseuds/AughtPunk
Summary: Originally written for the fanzine Bullseye, now on AO3!Jesse McCree was forced to retire from Overwatch due to his trick knee while Hanzo continued to fight the good fight well into old age. But just because he can still shoot with the best of them, it doesn't mean Hanzo's fated to do it forever.





	Retirement Benefits

The house was always too quiet when Hanzo was away on a mission. Jesse did his best to fill it by his lonesome self. Sometimes that meant singing along with the radio, other times it meant calling the kids or grand-kids, but mostly he found himself talking to the various potted plants that covered their house. Not the garden. Jesse already got a talking-to by Hanzo for ‘freaking out the neighbors’ with his long, rambling tales about his old Deadlock days delivered to the tomato plants. So he settled for talking to the aloe plant on the counter while he cooked.

“Things looked pretty dire for your favorite cowboy, let me tell you!” Jesse said as he sliced the top off of another fresh strawberry. “The foundry was crawlin’ with those nasty Null Sector omnics, and there I was hanging from the rafters by my calves without a bullet to my name. Just when I couldn’t hold on for a second longer--BANG! No, that ain’t the right sound. Pow? Whoomp? Kaboom? Kaboom! KABOOM! The doors flew open and thank God in heaven there was the Strike Team--”

A flash of blue in the corner of his eye stopped Jesse’s rambling story. There, swimming through the large bowl of chopped fruit, was one of Hanzo’s dragons. Soba, if the way the dragon was ignoring the grapes in favor of strawberries was anything to go by. He picked the wiggling dragon up and brushed off the few odd chunks of mango stuck to his scales. “Howdy there, Soba. Your Master on the way home?”

Soba answered by licking the juice off of Jesse’s fingers before vanishing in a poof of crackling blue light. By the time Jesse hobbled to the front door, cursing his bad knee along the way, Hanzo was already inside and hanging up his coat. He paused, taking a moment to soak in the breathtaking view which was his husband.

Old age had brought Jesse a mess of problems: the aforementioned bad knee, the need for reading glasses, wrinkles, and a mop of grey hair that put an extra twenty years on his looks. But Hanzo? Hanzo blossomed into old age. His hair was pure white instead of dull grey, his body in better condition than in his youth, and his eyes were sharp as always. Hanzo thanked genetics. Jesse thanked the dragons. 

“Howdy stranger,” Jesse said as he tilted an imaginary hat. “What’s a good lookin’ fella like yourself doing in a place like this?”

Hanzo did not give his usual chuckle to Jesse’s terrible pick-up line. In fact, he remained facing away from Jesse, a fact that sent a dull ache straight to his stomach. Something was wrong. A thousand scenarios flashes in Jesse’s mind--the mission went haywire, someone was hurt, someone was killed--before Hanzo finally spoke. His voice was quiet, as if the words themselves were fragile. “I have been removed from active duty.” 

Jesse took a moment to calm himself, only to force himself not to holler in joy. Or maybe wave that imaginary hat of his before kissing his dear, dear husband. But Jesse didn’t do any of that. He knew his husband too well. Instead he reached over to take Hanzo’s hand within his own. “I’m sorry, darlin’. C’mere.”

With a slight tug Hanzo allowed himself to be pulled into Jesse’s arms. He fit as well as he ever did. They stood together in the entryway of their house like that, Hanzo’s head resting on his shoulder as Jesse stroked his fingers through Hanzo’s long flowing hair. Jesse spoke first. He always did. “Strike Commander Song finally forced you into retirement?” 

Hanzo shook his head. Huh. Jesse had been sure that was it.

“Your old shoulder injury acting up again?”

Hanzo shook his head again. Double huh.

“Uh, did a future version of Lena pop in and warn everyone--”

“Jesse,” Hanzo said as he finally lifted his head. “I chose to retire.”

The wheels in Jesse’s head spun wildly as he went from happy, to scared, to happy, and now straight into a brick wall marked confused. “Darlin?” he asked, unsure of what else to say.

Hanzo twisted his fingers into the front of Jesse’s shirt. “It hit me, when we were on the way back. I do not know why it never dawned on me before but at that moment, sitting in the darkness of the transport ship, I--” He took a deep breath and finally met Jesse’s eyes. “I do not have to die on the battlefield. I can spend my remaining years here. With you.”

Jesse could contain himself no longer. Laughter escaped first, switching into his normal prayer of pet names while he covered Hanzo’s face in kisses. “Darlin’, angel, sugarplum, honeybee, jelly bean, honeysuckle, junebug, apple dumpling, love of my life--”

“Jesse!” Hanzo echoed Jesse’s laugh as his dark demeanor vanished. He tried to pull back but was firmly trapped within his husband’s arms. 

“--my ooey gooey cinnamon roll!” Jesse ended his attack with a kiss directly to Hanzo’s lips. “Oh sweetheart, I’ve been waiting years for you to hang up your hat and retire! ”

Hanzo leaned up to return the kiss. “Why say nothing, if you felt that way? Holding your tongue is so unlike you, my love.”

“I was always told it’s something you have to realize on your own. Lord knows I didn’t listen to Angela’s, ‘You’re getting too old, your knee won’t heal right, you have to take better care of yourself,’ nagging over the years. Wasn’t until I was fallin’ out of that third story window did I realize how nice gardening and lazy afternoon naps sounded.”

“Or perhaps walking around the farmer’s market hand-in-hand?” Hanzo leaned against Jesse’s chest. “While complaining about how expensive everything is these days?”

“Then we can go visit our grand-kids and spoil them rotten!” Jesse laughed as he kissed the top of Hanzo’s head. “Course darlin’, you’re gonna have to deal with lil’ old me being around all of the time. Probably won’t get a moment’s peace.” 

“I am counting on it, cowboy.” Hanzo looped his fingers around Jesse’s belt. “In fact, I was going to take one of those ‘lazy afternoon naps’ you mentioned. Care to join me?”

Jesse grinned. “Might not be much of a nap if I’m there, archer.” 

Hanzo did not answer directly. Instead he gave that same teasing smile Jesse fell for so long ago, followed by a kiss that still sent electricity down his spine. Even after so many years Jesse never tired of Hanzo, never regretted a second, never found himself loving his husband less. And as Hanzo lead Jesse back to their bedroom he knew he never would. 

**Author's Note:**

> OH BOY THAT BULLSEYE ZINE SURE WAS A THING HUH
> 
> Man, I'm never gonna get that acrylic stand...


End file.
